Jeanine
Hoedemakers (1954) wrote and published poetry in a free style
before she became interested in haiku in about 1986. It was at
this time that she added haiku and senryu to her repertoire.
Jeanine has been a member of Haiku Kring Nederland (Haiku Circle
Netherlands) since 1986. Her haiku, written in Dutch, have been
published in haiku magazines Vuursteen (Flint), Kortheidshalve
(For brevity's sake), and some other publications. She has also
had work appear, in English, in frogpond. Individual volumes
in Dutch include Onzichtbare tastbaarheid (Invisible tangibility,
1985), Het meer van minder (The less of more, 1986; contains
a few haiku and senryu), Spiegel van zelfbehoud (Mirror
of self-preservation, 1988), Het zandpad van verwachting
(The sandy path of expectation, 1991), De beste plaats is
steeds bezet (The best seat is always taken, 1994; contains
a few haiku and senryu), Tot bewegen aangezet (Spurred
on to move, 1997; contains haiku and senryu).

Van
de tulpen
zijn ook de schaduwen
gaan hangen.

The tulips -
their shadows too
are drooping now

In zijn gezelschap
zie ik zelfs een prijskaartje
aan de maan hangen.

In
his company
I even see a price tag
dangling from the moon

Hinkende
oude man
zijn verhalen klinken
zoals hij loopt.

Limping old man
his stories sound like
the way he walks.

"Leuk dat ik je zie"
zegt ze en gaat dan zitten
een plaats verderop.

"How
nice to see you"
she says and sits down
a place further on.

Hoe zij hem aankijkt.
In de leegte van haar blik
kan hij alles zijn.

The
way she looks at him.
In the emptiness of her gaze
he can be anything.

In
een woordenstroom
kabbelt ons gesprek verder
terwijl we plassen.

In a stream of words
our conversation babbles on
while we piddle.

Met pensioen;
zijn hobbyruimte houdt hem
bij zichzelf weg.

Retired;
his hobby room keeps him
away from himself.

Grashalmen
buigen
alsof zij willen horen
wat de aarde zegt.

Blades of grass bend
as if they want to hear
what the earth is saying.

Ze
zoekt in haar tas
- de sleutels, het horloge -
wat grip op de dag.

She
looks in her bag
- the keys, her watch -
for some hold on the day.